No link for this blog post, but let’s just say that there are some videos of Halo 3 beta lurking around the internet, and a certain writer has seen the clips. This isn’t a discussion of my impressions, but instead a remark on one noticeable change I observed. The HUD has been changed to resemble Halo’s biggest “competitor” that’s not really its competitor: Metroid Prime.

Chief is running away from Samus.

This isn’t going to be the rant of a Nintendo fanboy complaining that Bungie ripped Retro Studios off. Quite frankly the best parts of both Halos came from previous games. What bothers me about it is that the HUD actually looks worse than before. It’s far too cluttered; what used to occupy three corners of the screen now fills up four corners and the top center. It doesn’t make things easier to read, and in multiplayer I rather like having as much of the screen unobstructed as possible.

There seems to be no utility or benefit from the change. Instead it feels like someone decided to use the idea without making sure it actually worked well (which they did for vehicles and melee). It won’t cause the end of the game, but it sure won’t help put out the fiery debates between warring fanboys. Who wants to bet someone out there has already praised Bungie for leading the way?